blood

[Shmape]

I am a 33 yr. old female in generally good health. Last Sept. I began having seasonal allergies, which turned into a sinus infection. I was stubborn, and busy and did not go to see a Dr. until the about Dec. 20. She put me on Ketek-antibiotic along with OTC sudafed, an ecpectorant, afrin, and saline. After the ten day dose of ketek was finished I still had my sinus infection, and began to notice blood and mucus in my stool. I read the warnings on the ketek pamphlet and it stated to call the Dr. if these symptoms arose, I did, she was cluless, told me just to wait and see if it went away & sent me to a specialise for my sinuses. He in turn wanted to give me another antibiotic, but I told him about my blood & mucus and he sent me to another Dr. who, after having me give two samples for testing, said that there were signs of inflamation (inflammation), but that we would need to do a colonoscopy to figure it out. Did that- it was done in about 10 min. and they said everything looked great and healthy. When I let my Dr. know that his assistant told me that there was nothing to worry about then and badically wrote me off as healthy. 2 weeks later...still having bright red blood and mucus, a lot of gas, and frequent "need to go" feeling. I cant let out any gas unless I am on the toilet as it is always accompanied by more blood & mucus. I am not able to "hold it" at all and my stool is thin, but not diraeah(sp?) When I have a bowel movement it is a little painful with alot of pressure at my rectum. I do not feel like I have any hemeroids, or fissures. I do not really have any stomach cramping, or pains except when I suddenly feel like I have to go. Anyway, I'd really like to get rid of my sinus infection, but cant do that until this other thing goes away. My husband is quite sure that I'm just going to die in my sleep! HELP???
Oh yeh, as a side note, I have also had very iregular periods within the last year which used to be normal for me, but since my last baby was born 5 yrs ago Ive been pretty regular, not sure if it's connected or not...
also, I got some probotics from the health store and have been taking that the past few days.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

A colonoscopy is a pretty comprehensive evaluaton of the lower colon that can rule out many of the major GI causes of GI bleeding.

If it was completely negative, that would make things like cancer, or polyps, less likely.  

If you are still bleeding despite a completely negative colonoscopy (i.e. no colitis, polyps, or hemorrhoids), you can consider a bleeding scan - which is a more sensitive test for finding a source of bleeding.  

This option can be discussed with your personal physician.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
kevinmd_b